Marco Polo
by AthenAltena
Summary: Kurogane gets back to Japan, yet something very specific is missing from his life... but not for long. KuroFay centered. Discontinued
1. Chapter 1

_Dreams are answers to questions we haven't yet figured out how to ask. X-Files_

Kurogane had never been one to place much importance in his dreams, but that was only until they forced him to look twice.

He generally didn't remember them, and even then they made little sense. If they really were a product of his mind, Kurogane figured that not much must have been happening. Tomoyo had occasionally inquired about them before sending him away, but he'd never had much to tell her.

He sometimes wished he could go back to those days.

The first time he had The Nightmare – as it came to be known – he knew instantly that it was no ordinary dream. Instead of the usual confusion and fluidity he was used to this one was horribly clear.

Fay, bloodied and dying, lay in his arms and looked up at him forlornly, before he simply drifted away like a pile of ash in the wind.

The first time he'd had The Nightmare he'd woken up in a cold sweat, only calming down when he looked over at a thankfully solid Fay. At the time he'd shrugged it off and declared it a mere anxiety dream – until it happened again, and again, and again. In retrospect, he really should have paid it more attention, for while The Nightmare itself was a fairly horrible experience, it didn't hold a candle to the real thing.

When it did happen the cold fear that had gripped him in sleep was replaced by numbness. Even when Fay reached up brush his face – something he'd never done in The Nightmare – Kurogane had only been able to stare in disbelief at the puddle of blood forming under Fay's body. But strangely, Fay had given him a warm, genuine smile before his body disintegrated. What Kurogane remembered most about the actual event was the feeling of Fay's weight suddenly vanishing – and he imagined that Fay must have felt much the same then.

In the following whirlwind of events Kurogane hadn't had time to grieve, not even when he arrived back in Nihon. He'd talked briefly with Tomoyo about his journey, but hadn't really mentioned what happened to Fay. He suspected that she knew already, and was thankful for that. The memory was simply too fresh in his mind to really face.

He'd settled back into the routine fairly quickly, and had decided that perhaps it was best to simply forget about it and go on with his life. Being back with Tomoyo in the land he was born in… It was what he'd wanted, right?

So why did some part of him feel cheated, unfulfilled, and lonely?

He spent many nights wondering about this, until something popped into his awareness one night right before he completely fell asleep.

_Kuro-rin?_

He bolted upright at the sound. There was no mistaking the owner of that voice. A check of the room revealed nothing, and he went back to sleep despite the pounding of his heart. He dismissed it as the product of a guilty conscious, until it happened again the next night.

_Kuro-rin?_

This time the voice was clearer, as if the speaker had somehow moved closer. There was something about the voice that reminded Kurogane of the way the blind lute players Tomoyo welcomed into her court would stretch out their hands to ask for water. It was a voice one used when they knew something was close but could not see it, and simply hoped that somehow they'd come into contact with it.

It was after the third time he heard the voice that he went to Tomoyo. He told her about everything, The Nightmare, Fay's death, and now the dream-voice, and felt oddly relieved to finally tell _someone_ about it. She listened patiently, and when she did finally speak after he finished her voice was gentle and understanding.

"I understand your apprehension about this entire issue." They were in the throne room, and her voice seemed oddly magnified by the great space, giving an almost underwater feel to the scene. "But I am glad that you came to me with this. As for Flowright-san… you say that he simply vanished?"

"Yeah." He replied sadly. "Like ash."

Tomoyo closed her eyes and nodded once. "I see. What you saw, Kurogane, is something many magic users put in place. The body of a magic user has residual power even after the soul has left, and there are those – like Fei Wong Reed – who are uncouth enough to exploit that for their own purposes."

Kurogane's eyes widened.

"Use their… _body?_"

Tomoyo smiled sadly.

"I'm afraid so. No doubt Flowright-san knew about this unfortunate practice, and put a spell in place as insurance. Even I –" She ran a hand along the singular red ribbon tied around her left wrist. "Even I have taken such precautionary measures. When my soul leaves, this charm will make sure that no one can use my body for evil."

Kurogane lowered his head. "I see."

"But that is not the real subject of concern here." Tomoyo continued. Only now was her tone grave, despite the fact that she'd just been talking about her own eventual death. "You say you saw this event – with minor differences – several times before it happened. You may not want to hear this, but given who your mother was," she must have realized that even _mentioning_ his mother was bound to hit a nerve, and dropped her voice appropriately. "It would make sense if you had some powers of a _yumemi_."

He blinked. "A what?"

"A Dreamseer." She said calmly. "I possess some of these abilities myself. They allow one to see the future through dreams, and communicate with people across great distances – physical, dimensional, and even mortal."

Kurogane drew in a breath. She couldn't mean…

"That last feature, Kurogane," she said, obviously having picked up on his train of thought. "May explain your recent dreams."

Bewildered, the ninja shook his head. "Wait, so you're suggesting that Fay is talking to me in my dreams?" He really didn't mean to sound so skeptical, especially towards his princess, but his voice betrayed him. Something was missing from the picture.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "But why do I just hear him? I thought you could also see them."

"It is not always that simple." She responded calmly. "You said he sounds lost, so perhaps he is looking for you. Finding another in the dreamscape can be a difficult task, even with training." She smiled gently. "But please, Kurogane, do tell me if he seems to be coming closer, since it may mean something. Until then, try calling to _him_ and see what happens."

So he did. The first few times it was unsuccessful, but by the third try he thought he could hear Fay begin to call back with what he could have sworn was relief. The entire thing reminded him of a game he'd played when he was still small, where one child was blindfolded and tried to seek out the others using only their voices. The difference was that neither of them could see each other, but they did seem to be getting closer day by day, week by week.

The nightly search soon became almost a habit, to the point where Kurogane began to stop thinking about what it might eventually mean. He went on protecting Tomoyo, defusing dangerous situations, capturing – not killing – more than a few assassins, and falling back into the same well-known routine. Coming back to this had been his goal throughout the entire journey to other worlds, but he couldn't help feeling discontent with some aspects of his homeland.

Tomoyo was possibly the only person who really understood where he was coming from on one issue in particular. During one of their bi-weekly dream discussions, he finally asked her something that had been on his mind for some time:

"Princess," he glanced around quickly, in case someone overheard. "Princess, don't get me wrong – I love this country – but since I came back it seems like our society is incredibly…" he stumbled over his words, afraid he might offend her. "Well, _xenophobic_."

Tomoyo nodded slowly.

"Unfortunately, that is very much how our country works. When one travels anywhere new there is always a shift in one's perceptions about their home, and oftentimes we see things that normally we would not pay attention to. I too have been aware of this aspect of our country, but it is best not to let it bother you too much." She closed her eyes. "It may be difficult, but think of it this way: Since you know about the outside world you can now be a fairer man, and that may be of help to us sooner than you think." Her face suddenly brightened and she began to laugh merrily. "After all, that was one reason I sent you away."

He couldn't help but scoff at her last statement, but the subject quickly changed back to Fay, and how he seemed to be getting closer and easier to hear.

One morning a piece of intelligence came in that told of foreigners traveling inland. What made this unique was that they were not the usual lot from Kitai – rather, according to the intelligence, they were hairy, oddly dressed, resembled demons, and smelled. But Tomoyo always welcomed visitors, and enthusiastically sent an envoy ahead to invite them for an official welcome, much to the chagrin of her bodyguards, though at least it gave them time to prepare.

When the day finally arrived Kurogane and Sohma were positioned closest to Tomoyo, with several other plain-clothes in the large crowd that had gathered in the square outside the castle. Foreigners tended not to respond well to legions of armed guards, so discretion was a must.

Being as tall as he was, blending in was not exactly easy for Kurogane, but luckily a wide-brimmed hat he'd "borrowed" from a local hid his face well enough to give him a small amount of anonymity in the crowd. Sohma – whose deceptively beautiful kimono contained enough weaponry to supply a small army – clung to his arm like a dutiful wife and added to the cover. He wondered vaguely what color the Empress' face would be if she could see this, and chuckled as he imagined her throwing a fit.

After a few moments the foreign caravan came into view over the hill, a medley of waving colored flags, strange music, and a group of local children who ran alongside it in excitement. The people around Kurogane scrambled to get a better view, but he kept back, mostly out of necessity to be aware of absolutely everything happening, but also because he'd seen many stranger sights during his journey. He did feign interest to blend in, with the ulterior motive of visually checking for anything suspicious. Tomoyo just smiled from her throne, looking genuinely happy to have new guests. Her good nature was the reason Kurogane and Sohma needed to be so cautious. She shot him a wise smile, and he shook his head in disbelief. Of _course_ she'd known that they'd be having visitors – hence her cryptic comment about his experiences being helpful in the near future. He really should have seen _that_ one coming.

The procession stopped about a hundred yards from the dais, and the crowd's mood had turned from excitement to nervous curiosity. Now that they were closer Kurogane could see that travelers were indeed strange people, though, once again, he'd seen stranger. The wide, broad rimmed hats they wore combined with the ballooning legs of their pants were almost – but not quite – more ridiculous than the clothes he'd had to wear in Jade Country. The description of "hairy" also unfortunately fit as far as their faces went, and Kurogane could only pray that the reports that they smelled had been an exaggeration.

Kurogane rolled his eyes when the court announcer stepped forward and formally introduced Tomoyo by her full, obnoxiously long title: Tsukuyomi no Sumeramikoto Heika, sister of Empress Amaterasu, esteemed ruler of Shirasagi Castle, upholder of the wards, yada yada… He'd heard it a million times before.

After that the foreigners were finally given permission to approach, still oblivious to the fact that over a dozen heavily armed guards practically surrounded them and were ready to strike them down if they did anything fishy. Kurogane couldn't help but be glad that the camouflage he'd arranged was apparently working.

One by one the men came forward and bowed dramatically as their names – Niccolò Vecchio, Maffeo Valini, among others – spilled off their lips lyrically. A translator they'd found on the coast conveyed their individual greetings from the land of Iberia, making Tomoyo smile and nod at every one. Kurogane had long since tuned their greetings out when one voice made him stop dead, earning a surprised look from Sohma. She jostled his arm lightly, but he was beyond responding.

While the Iberians were almost all dark-haired, the man stepping forward most certainly wasn't. Kurogane's jaw dropped even further when the ridiculous hat was removed, revealing a head of sun-yellow hair and a pair of sparkling blue eyes. All of Kurogane's doubts about who it was disappeared the instant the man spoke a name he'd never forget.

"…Fay D. Flowright..."

Kurogane rushed out before Sohma could catch him and leapt straight over the heads of several startled onlookers. He was completely oblivious to the confusion of both the foreigners and his own hidden men. They stood staring at each other for several seconds, until the truth that there was no recognition in those eyes hit him like a slap across the face.

_Fuck it!_ Something inside him practically shouted. _Fuck time, fuck space, and fuck the goddamn language barrier!_

He never was one for subtlety, so with more force than he'd intended he simply grabbed the blonde's thin shoulders and kissed him on the lips. Several people in the crowd gasped.

_Come on!_ Kurogane thought desperately as several endless seconds ticked by. _Come – Fucking – On! Do something!_

He really had to stop asking for things like that. The space behind his eyes went blinding white as something surged through him and left him reeling to the point he felt that he might pass out. By the time it began to fade he was vaguely aware of some sort of commotion going around him, but that quickly faded into the background as soon as something very warm began to press back and he felt arms loop around his neck. He smiled into the kiss.

_I should have done this ages ago..._ He thought idly, pressing a little harder.

He regretfully pulled away for oxygen, gasping like a drowning man. The eyes he was staring into sparkled with the same white fire that had surged through him a moment ago, and now the previous confusion was replaced by true recognition.

"Fay." He gasped.

"Kuro-rin." The soft response was equally breathless, but unmistakably triumphant. Kurogane's eyes began to drift shut in relief.

_Wait,_ he thought suddenly. _This is too good to be true. Better check._

He leaned down and kissed Fay again, if possible with even more intensity than before, until he was once again forced to fill his lungs to keep from passing out.

_No,_ he thought dazedly as Fay's hand reached up to caress his cheek. _Definitely real._

So real, in fact, that he really didn't give a damn about the confusion that had erupted around them. He was too busy gazing into Fay's wonderfully solid face.

Some things could wait.

**.o.O.o.**

Authors Notes: I'm basing Kurogane's Japan on 15th century Feudal Japan and their first contact with the Portuguese. I'm something of a Japanese history buff, so I couldn't resist putting in a few silly references here and there:

**Kitai: **Comes from the Russian name for China, I just remember really liking the sound of it when I learned it.Historically Japan did have some contact with Ming Dynasty China even during the Warring States Period.

**Niccolò ****Vecchio, Maffeo Valini: **These are amalgamations of the names of several people related to the explorer Marco Polo.

**Iberia:** The name of the peninsula on which Spain and Portugal reside and in this story the equivalent of both of those countries.

**Tsukuyomi no ****Sumeramikoto**** Heika:** Roughly translated, means "Tsukuyomi, heavenly ruler above the clouds". Sumeramikoto is an old version of Tenno, the current title granted to the royalty of Japan. Heika essentially means "Your Majesty".


	2. Chapter 2

"Your Highness," Niccolò Vecchio, the apparent leader of the expedition, began. "This has been a very… interesting experience thus far. We thank you for your hospitality."

Tomoyo reclined her head and smiled.

"Vecchio-san, it is an honor for us to welcome you to our country. If there is anything at all you need during your stay do not hesitate to ask."

The Iberians nodded. Their unease was evident now that they were in the castle proper, and he suspected that more than a few of them were wondering how Tomoyo was suddenly speaking their language perfectly. Little did they know that it was due to a spell the princess has purchased from Yuuko, at the small cost of a sacred mirror. All things considered, Kurogane was having a hard time disagreeing with her decision to part with the two-thousand-year-old artifact for unlimited translation abilities.

"Thank you, Your Highness. However," Vecchio continued, casting a sidelong glance at the other members of his party. "We were not told of some of the more interesting… customs in your land."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow and distinctly heard Fay chuckle against his chest, where he'd been clutched in an unyielding death grip since the second kiss. Though none of the Iberians were looking at them it was obvious which "customs" they were referring to. The Nihonese in the room just sat silently, unsure of just how to react to their senior ninja's uncharacteristic escapade. At least a few were probably thinking that he'd given the Iberians a totally skewed view of their culture, but Kurogane was having a hard time caring about international relations while Fay was lightly stroking the scar on his left hand and making him shiver.

Speaking of shivering, the look Sohma was giving him from across the room was probably capable of freezing water. In response he shot her a look that he hoped conveyed that this was something she should stay out of. They held each other's gaze for a moment before she reclined her head in understanding. Kurogane suppressed a grin. Sohma may be stubborn, but she knew when to back down, and he admired her for that.

It seemed to take even longer than usual for the official welcome to end, at which point Kurogane stood up, hoisted Fay over his shoulder, and simply walked out. He really didn't care how many people saw. Fay didn't seem to mind either, and if his suppressed giggles were any indication he actually seemed to be enjoying the entire display.

As he turned into the secret passage to his quarters the pent-up nervousness of the entire day began to take its toll. He had the sudden urge to drop Fay and forget about this entire thing. Maybe he was being too presumptuous and forthright, maybe Fay had other plans, maybe this was a trap… All things that _should_ have occurred to him before he'd gone off and made a fool of himself.

Fay always had a way of recognizing the subtle changes in Kurogane's mood, so it should have been no surprise when Fay simply raised his hands over his head and slipped out of the grip around his waist as if he could have done it at any time.

"So." Fay said casually, just for the sake of breaking the tension between them. Kurogane used the moment to really look at the man he'd had his arms around for the last hour and notice several differences from the last time he'd seen him.

To start with, Fay had two eyes, and somehow looked quite a bit younger. Fay had never looked old in the physical sense, but the Fay he had traveled with must have been ancient in comparison to the man standing before him now. His hair was also longer and pulled back from his face, which added to the illusion that he'd somehow become even thinner. Each little difference just intrigued Kurogane more, and Fay, ever perceptive, must have seen the curiosity in his expression.

"You probably want an explanation."

It was both a statement and a question at the same time. Kurogane thought about it for a moment before he let out a sigh and scratched the back of his neck.

"Not tonight. I know I'm tired, and if what I've heard about your trip is true I imagine you're in the same boat."

Fay closed his eyes, and Kurogane knew that his hunch had been correct.

"Come on." Kurogane lifted Fay off his feet and carried him the rest of the way down the hall. "We have plenty of time."

**.o.O.o.**

Fay woke up several hours later in darkness, and it wasn't until he felt Kurogane shift to hold him a bit closer that he remembered just where he was. He placed a loving kiss on Kurogane's forehead and carefully slipped out of the circle of his arms to take a look around.

The room fit Kurogane quite well. There wasn't anything especially noteworthy about it, nothing fancy decorating the walls or the low wooden shelves, but it had a decidedly lived-in quality that he found very welcoming. There hadn't been much time to really look at it before, but now Fay could see that the room was really an extension of Kurogane himself, and it gave him a sort of odd pleasure to see a new side of the man he'd traveled with for so long.

Kurogane mumbled something in his sleep and turned over onto his side. Fay was surprised by this, since Kurogane had never moved in his sleep during their journey. He couldn't help but wonder if his presence was the reason Kurogane was letting his guard down.

After a moment of simply observing his sleeping companion Fay silently crept out into the hall. It was still the middle of the night, so hardly anybody would be awake. It was perfect.

To anyone else Shirasagi castle would have seemed silent, but Fay's senses were buzzing. The sheer complexity of the magic was certainly a testament to the power of its past and current patrons, as every inch of the castle seemed to be imbued with some sort of magical energy. He couldn't help but run his hands over the stonework in the reception hall and be amazed at the skill of the people who had put them in place.

He paused over one especially intriguing glyph.

"I didn't expect you to be awake this late, Princess Tsukuyomi."

With a tinkling of bells Tomoyo emerged from behind a screen at the far side of the hall. The princess and the wizard regarded each other for a moment as they silently tested each other's magical energy.

Tomoyo was the first to avert her gaze and begin gliding across the room towards her throne.

"I enjoy nights like this, Flowright-san, for even without the sun one can still see."

Fay glanced up at the open ceiling, and sure enough, the moon hung perfectly in the center. He had no doubts that the people who had built the castle had purposely designed it that way. When he looked at Tomoyo again she was smiling, though he sensed that there something else behind her eyes.

"The real question is why you are awake at such an hour after such a harrowing journey, Flowright-san."

Fay chuckled, letting his hand wander to the magical glyphs again.

"I am indeed tired, Your Highness. I just have much to think about."

"I imagine." Tomoyo replied gently, though her eyes displayed an odd intensity. This time it was Fay who turned away first, deciding instead to focus on the moon.

"Princess, your name – Tsukuyomi – it means 'Moon Reader', does it not?"

Tomoyo nodded, the bells in her hair chiming softly with the motion.

"It does indeed, Flowright-san."

"And the connotation behind being able to read the moon is the power of foresight, is it not?"

Still smiling, Tomoyo closed her eyes.

"That is correct."

"So am I safe in the assumption that you knew I would be coming here, Your Highness?"

"Once again, correct. I'm impressed, Flowright-san. Kurogane has spoken well of you, and I can see now that he was not exaggerating."

Fay felt a pang of guilt at her words, and Tomoyo, seeming to sense this, moved a bit closer to him.

"Flowright-san, I am not sure if this will ease your anxiety, but now that you are here Kurogane is probably the happiest I have ever see him."

With a relieved sigh Fay touched his left eye, as if he were making sure that it was still there.

"I'm glad to hear that, I really am." His eyes darkened, as if he were not in Shirasagi castle but somewhere else entirely. "But Princess, there is something else I must ask you."

"Go ahead." Tomoyo urged, sensing his unease.

Fay glanced down at his hands and sighed.

"I feel like I'm two people at once, like I'm both me and someone else. Until today I had no _idea_ that anything of this existed, but now my head's full of memories that I've never experienced and people I've never met." Both Fay's voice and shoulders began to shake.

"Princess, I'm seeing terrible things that I've done, people I've hurt… and I didn't have any of these memories until he…" Fay touched his lips in embarrassment. "Well, I didn't even know who he was. Some part of me understands this, but I just can't wrap my head around it. Please, Princess, help me understand this."

Tomoyo strode over to him and put her hand over his.

"You know that in other dimensions there are other versions of a person – versions who share the same soul, but come from different environments and have different memories, experiences, and identities..."

"I know, Princess." Fay interrupted, the agitation in his voice obvious. "But how is it that the memories of the other me were suddenly brought back?"

She turned his hand over and held it like he were a small child. "When one desires something strongly anything is possible, Flowright-san, even restoring the memories of a different life." She looked up at him with a knowing smile. "I sympathize with you – remembering things that are not entirely yours can be extremely frightening, even for one well-versed in the ways of dimensional travel. But even if your human body is having difficulty accepting this, your soul always knew what needed to be done, did it not?"

Fay stared at her for a moment, and then unexpectedly he was smiling back. The tension in his frame seemed to disperse instantly to leave him looking sleepy and contented. Tomoyo patted his hand reassuringly.

"Flowright-san, do not hesitate to come to me if you ever feel the need to talk about your memories. I will be there to help you."

"Thank you, Princess." Fay knelt and kissed her hand. "And just so you know, just 'Fay' is perfectly acceptable."

"Alright, Fay-san, in that case you may call me Tomoyo."

"Of course, Tomoyo-san."

After a brief goodnight Fay slipped back into Kurogane's room. He settled back into the circle of Kurogane's arms and sighed contentedly. After so much time of just imagining it the physical warmth almost brought tears to his eyes. After a moment he felt Kurogane stir and tighten his grip protectively.

"You're less tense…" Kurogane muttered sleepily. Fay snuggled a little closer into the blessed heat.

"Yeah… I'll tell you about it later."

Kurogane mumbled something and buried his face in Fay's hair. Fay had to fight back tears as he too began to fall asleep, but for the first time since he could remember they were tears of joy.


	3. Chapter 3

"Have you heard, have you heard?"

A group of court ladies had gathered near a window, chattering like a flock of sparrows in excited whispers.

"It's the Princess' guard. They say that he's taken one of the barbarians into his bed! The two of them have been shacked up for days and haven't come out since!"

"A barbarian? Honestly, what is Kurogane-san thinking?"

Kurogane had to honestly fight the urge to jump down from his post on the roof and give the ladies a piece of his mind. He knew that the best way to deal with gossipers was to simply shut up and wait for something more interesting to occupy them, but it was more than a bit tempting to simply throttle the ladies and discourage any more behavior of the sort.

He did get a bit of satisfaction when he finally did swing down through the window and scare the living daylights out of the ladies. He figured it might at least teach them to be more discreet when they chose to gossip about a ninja.

Kurogane couldn't ignore the fact that people had been looking at him differently since the Iberians arrived three days earlier. He wasn't going to let it get under his skin, so he'd simply been going about with business as usual with the hope that everyone else had the sense to do the same. People had already begun to make their own conjectures about his behavior at the welcoming ceremony with sometimes humorous results. The theories he had overheard ranged from a kissing spell to a suggestion that he'd actually been in Iberia during his unexplained absence. None of them had any proof, of course, but one thing Tomoyo's court hated was admitting that hadn't the vaguest idea what was actually going on.

As he was moving through one of the many courtyards a commotion down the hall made him pause mid-step.

"_You Goddamn Sodomite!"_

Kurogane raced around the corner as his intuition screamed that something wasn't right, and was a bit dismayed to find that he'd been spot on.

Vecchio, his face red with anger, stood towering over Fay, who was wide-eyed in fear and backed into a corner.

"What were you thinking?!" Vecchio spat, looming over Fay menacingly. "All you people are the same, you're not even from Iberia yet you've wrecked our reputation with this country already with that sick little display of yours! We should have tossed you overboard when we had the chance, you degenerate, ignorant, arrogant little –!"

"_Hey!"_

The color drained from the Iberian's face at the sight of the black-clad ninja thundering down the hall towards him, and without a second's hesitation he took off like a thunderclap and lost his ridiculously plumed hat in the process. Kurogane just glowered at the retreating figure. While it had probably been a wise decision on Vecchio's part to run away Kurogane was more interested in making sure that Fay wasn't hurt than skewering the man, and Tomoyo wouldn't be happy with him if he hurt even one of her guests regardless of the circumstances.

In the meantime, he was well aware that a small crowd had begun to gather in response to the commotion. Despite obviously being shaken, it wasn't until Fay met his eyes that Kurogane realized that something else was afoot besides the shock of having just been verbally assaulted by someone he'd been traveling with for the better part of a year.

"Kuro-rin," Fay said quietly. "I think it's time I told you how I got here."

"Sure, but let's so somewhere less…" He glanced up again at the quickly-forming crowd of onlookers. "Buzzy."

Fay seemed to understand his sentiment and chuckled as he allowed himself to be lead away.

_Oh great,_ Kurogane thought bitterly. _The gossipers will have a field day with this._ The idea of shacking up with Fay for a few days until this blew over was looking increasingly appealing – if only not to further test his quickly-deteriorating patience with humanity and run the risk of choking someone.

With the help of a few well-timed glares Kurogane managed to get Fay back to his room without any more trouble and get him seated. Fay simply lay against him for a few moments, and just as Kurogane was beginning to wonder if Fay had fallen asleep he finally spoke.

"How much of that conversation did you hear?"

Kurogane couldn't help but wonder what an argument between these people was like if _that _was a conversation, but he sensed now was not the time to bring that up.

"Enough." He replied quietly.

Fay sighed and moved closer, as if he wanted to have as little space between them as possible.

"Well, as that man said, I'm not from Iberia. I come from a land across the Northern Sea called Albion. My family was fairly wealthy, and I was expected to follow our family's footsteps like my brothers had, but all that changed about a year ago." Fay had begun to stroke Kurogane's hand again. "I heard through a rumor that an Iberian expedition was going to the legendary land of Cipangu, and I just _had_ to be on that ship. It didn't make any sense at all, but I just couldn't ignore it."

Kurogane frowned.

"So your family just let you leave?"

Fay chuckled.

"Actually, yes. I was surprised, but my mother just told me that my heart knew what is was doing and let me go without a fight. My father was a bit more skeptical, but I always _was _the crazy one in the family. The old man was probably happy to get rid of me and focus on my other brothers."

Kurogane nodded. It was all starting to make sense in a sad, utterly Fay-like way.

"So," Fay continued somberly. "I left behind everything I had and went to Iberia. I thought I really _was_ going crazy. My body wasn't listening to me, and it didn't make any sense until you…Well…" Kurogane could imagine the blush that must be covering Fay's face by now. He felt the need to push the story along, since Fay seemed too embarrassed by the memory of the kiss to continue on his own.

"So you got to Iberia. Then what? I don't imagine that they would let you onto their ship just like that."

Fay shifted and began to chuckle nervously.

"Wait…" Kurogane frowned. "You didn't…"

"I stowed away." Fay chimed in cheerfully. "Did I already mention that I was always the crazy one?"

Kurogane groaned. He really hated being right about this type of thing, but at least things were starting to make sense. Though he couldn't see Fay's face in their current position he was trying to imagine what his expression must be.

"Did the Iberians really threaten to throw you overboard?"

"Yes, they were quite mad when I revealed myself once we were safely out at sea. Our counties don't exactly get along." Fay had taken hold of his hand again and was lightly stroking it. "I was honestly afraid that they were going to kill me until I convinced them to let me stay, but that was only after I gave them a decent amount of money and showed off some of my abilities."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"Abilities?"

Fay moved so they could see each other and held out his hand, muttering something under his breath. A plume of violet fire sprang to life and cast an odd glow over both of them until Fay shut his hand to extinguish it.

"I come from a family of mages, so I've known how to do this since I was a little kid. It's nothing special, but it was convincing enough to keep me on board. I don't eat that much anyway." Fay sighed and flexed his hand absentmindedly. "These are mere _party tricks_ compared to what I used to be able to do, but perhaps that's for the best."

Kurogane bit his lip. He didn't exactly want to agree, but he couldn't easily disagree with the sentiment either. Even though it seemed like Fay was done with his story something was still bothering him, and worse, he knew there was no good way to ask it.

"So which Fay are you now?"

It didn't quite come out the way he wanted it to, but Fay understood.

"I'm both." Fay said with a frown, as if he were trying to find the right words. "I can't really explain it. There's only one _real_ me, but it's like there are branches off the main tree in different worlds, and now I've got the memories of two different mes – the one who was born here and the one who traveled with you – in here at the same time." He tapped his head lightly. "Your princess can probably explain this better than I can, Kuro-mi."

Kurogane nodded, even though in truth he was having an equally hard time wrapping his head around it. Maybe he would ask Tomoyo for help understanding it.

"Is it hard… having two memories, I mean?"

"Not really." Fay said nonchalantly. "It's just taken some getting used it. That's one reason I've been sleeping so much."

Kurogane nodded. He had been wondering about Fay's lack of activity since his arrival, and he couldn't help feeling a bit guilty, since the entire thing really was his fault when it came down to it. He sighed and pulled Fay a bit closer.

"Are any of those memories going to be… problematic?"

"They won't be." Fay said with certainty, shaking his head lightly. "Once you're even a little bit removed from that sort of thing the memories are much easier to deal with. I'll be fine, and your princess has offered her help if I need it."

"I'm glad to hear that." Kurogane said gratefully. He should have known that Tomoyo would be on top of the situation – she _was_ a psychic, after all.

But despite all the good things that had happened he couldn't completely get over the nagging fear that perhaps he could have done something more to prevent the bad. He didn't like the feeling at all.

He jumped when a warm hand came up to touch his cheek. He hadn't realized how much he was getting wrapped up in the past, but Fay had wisely brought him back to reality.

"Kurogane, I don't want you to feel guilty about what happened." Fay reached up wrapped his arms about Kurogane's neck. Now they were close enough that Kurogane could feel every breath against his skin. "Kuro-rin, it wasn't your fault, it was just my time to go. You have no idea how much pain was in that body. It was for the best."

"I'm here now, Kuro-pu, and I'm not going anywhere."

Kurogane hadn't cried since Tomoyo had taken him in, but he simply couldn't stop the tears. Every second they'd spent together – the moment they'd materialized in Tokyo with totally opposite goals, the first time they'd watched each other's backs against the Kiishim, the time Fay tried to comfort him but had been pushed away, the instant he felt Fay's weight disperse under his hands – it all came down to the three words that Fay kept repeating every time he kissed him: I'm here now.

Fay managed to lay him down, never losing the physical contact between them. Kurogane didn't remember falling asleep, but when he awoke the next morning Fay was still holding his hand and lying as close as their bodies would let them.

**.o.O.o.**

**Author's notes:** Like in chapter 1, I made a few historical references:

**Barbarian:** Called _Nanban_ in Japanese, this was, in fact, what the Portuguese traders who came during the mid 16th century were called. By comparison to the cleanly Japanese it was a fitting description, and it was one of the few times that Europeans had dealt with a foreign people in a situation where _they_ were considered to be the less sophisticated party.

**Sodomite: **The word "homosexual" didn't exist until the late 19th century, so "sodomite" was a catch-all description anyone who didn't follow the established sexual norms. Culturally Japan didn't have as much of a problem with homosexuality (this will be explored more in chapter 4) but Europe was dangerously homophobic during this time.

**Albion: **The ancient Latin name for Britain meaning "white", specifically referring to the White Cliffs of Dover. The real-life Britain had rocky relations with Spain and Portugal following Henry VIII's breaking from the Catholic Church that would eventually culminate in a war between the two countries 40 years later.

**Cipangu:** The Chinese pronunciation of Japan, Europeans only knew of this land through second-hand accounts from the Chinese via one Marco Polo (more on this in Chapter 4 too).


	4. Chapter 4

One piece of wisdom that Kurogane's father had shared before his death was to always trust one's intuition. It had taken his son a while to finally do this, but there were still times that he absolutely hated being right.

He knew the instant he met Sohma for their weekly meeting on Tomoyo's security situation that all was not well. From the way she was pacing around the room like a caged animal with her arms over her chest it was obvious she was agitated. He'd seen her in a bad mood before – they'd known each other for over a decade – but he'd never seen her like this.

He leaned against the doorframe with a sigh, deciding that he might as well get this over with.

"Spit it out. What have I done wrong?"

She shot him a glare and continued pacing.

"What do you _think_?"

Kurogane's mouth twitched in annoyance. As bad as Moody Sohma was, Passive-Aggressive Sohma was that plus a million. This wasn't going to be fun.

"Sohma," he said flatly. "If you don't stop it with this sarcastic bullshit I'm going to tune you out. Let's try this again: What have I done wrong?"

In spite of her "drop dead" glare she appeared to get the message and paused mid-step.

"It's _him._"

"You mean _Fay?_" Kurogane replied, imitating her tone. He would not tolerate her reducing Fay to a pronoun as long as he was around.

"Who else?" She snapped back irritably, having missed his sarcasm. "Kurogane, people are _talking…_"

"So what?" He interrupted flatly. "People are _always_ talking. The day people _stop_ talking is the day I'll know everything's gone to hell."

Sohma was fuming at this point, and stomped over to the window where she took several deep breaths to calm herself. Kurogane rolled his eyes at the display, still thoroughly unimpressed.

"Kurogane, it's your _relationship_ with himthat's the problem!" she hissed, clenching her fists at her sides. He merely scoffed, leaning against the doorframe and crossings his arms.

"Sohma, my _relationship _with him is nobody's business. And just so you know, we haven't done _that_ yet. Not that I haven't thought about it…" It was, unfortunately, the truth. Between Fay's excessive sleeping and his duties to Tomoyo they hadn't done more than kissing.

The fact that Sohma had begun to squirm at the last part meant that that his tactic of pushing her comfort boundaries was working. Almost time for the kill.

"Tell me." He asked flatly, crossing his arms. "Is it just because he's a man?"

"Yes!" she snapped back without thinking.

It had worked. Kurogane crossed the room and stared her down.

"So then how is this any different than _your _relationship with the Empress?"

Sohma gasped and began to back away, her face suddenly pale. Kurogane couldn't help but feel a little sorry for hitting below the belt like that, but he didn't know how else to reach her. While she was still reeling in shock he began to pace around the room, keeping his eyes locked on her.

"'Do whatever you want but be quiet about it'. Wasn't that what you told me when I first came here as a dumb little kid?" He paused mid-step. "Whatever happened to that?"

She tried to turn away, but he simply followed her.

"You going to answer me or keep running?" he said flatly. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep the anger out of his voice.

"It's not the same…" She said passively, shying away from him. Mentioning the Empress had obviously cut deeper than he'd thought it would, but he wasn't done with her yet.

"Why not? Because he's a _foreigner_?" The word tasted bitter in his mouth, but he was glad that it was finally out in the open. When she tried to move away he followed her again. "So that one little detail is the reason it's a problem? Just because of something that's _totally out of his control_ I can't be in love with him? Is that it?"

He had her backed into a corner at this point, both figuratively and literally. He half-expected her to give up, but he realized too late that he'd underestimated her resilience.

"What is this man to you?" She looked up at him, shaking her head in disbelief. "What's so special about him that you're willing to go against _protocol_ to do this?"

"What _protocol_?" Kurogane scoffed. "Last time I checked Tomoyo didn't have a problem with him. In fact, she's offering to _help_ him last time I checked."

"We both know…" She hissed, shooting him a dangerous glare. "That if the Princess was in charge of her own security she would have been dead years ago."

Kurogane frowned. Now she was really fighting back, and he was honestly getting tired of this argument. He glared at her one last time before he turned away.

"You wouldn't understand." He closed his eyes at the memory of Fay drifting away. "You'd have to have been there."

"You're right." Sohma said flatly. "And I don't."

Even though Kurogane was close enough to touch her, he realized then that there had never been so much space between them.

**.o.O.o.**

It was a good thing that Kurogane didn't posses any telekinetic powers, or more than a few people who happened to be in his way would have gone flying.

_Just perfect_, he though crossly as he slammed the door, nearly breaking it in the process. _So according to them I can do whatever I want with whomever I want and no one could give a damn – Unless they're a foreigner. Then it's a big deal and I'm a horrible human being and a danger to Tomoyo._ He pulled of his cloak and haphazardly cast it into the corner.

"Hypocrisy is a fucking _art form_ around here." He snarled. When he felt significantly more together he looked over at the sleeping Fay, who in contrast to the inside of his head, was the embodiment of serenity.

Fay always had a certain feline grace about him, and as he lay curled on his side with one hand up near his face Kurogane half-expected him to sprout ears and a tail. The word that came to mind was adorable – a word Kurogane couldn't consciously remember ever using before.

He reached out cautiously and lightly touched a lock of blond hair that had come loose from its tie. _Good, still solid_. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. While he was no longer physically angry he certainly felt like crap, and he'd argue that was worse.

"Kuro-mi?"

He turned around to look at Fay, who had sat up and was rubbing his eyes tiredly between yawns.

"Kuro-mi, what's wrong? Something happen?"

Kurogane sighed, shaking his head tiredly.

"No. Nothing happened. Just the usual bullshit."

He let his eyes drift shut as Fay's arms came up to wrap around his neck and shivered at the feeling of Fay's breath on his neck. They knew each other well enough not to ask what was wrong, so Fay was just offering his silent comfort.

Kurogane began to chuckle and leaned back into Fay as he realized something.

"Eh? Kuro-rin? Something up?" Fay said gently, his brows knitting in concern.

"Oh, it's nothing." Kurogane sighed. "I just find it hard to believe that there was a time when I would have pushed you away for trying to comfort me."

"Things change, people change." Fay said matter-of-factly, nodding his head lightly. "It's just how life works."

"Yeah." Kurogane muttered, reaching around to grab Fay's hand.

_That's just the problem._ He thought sullenly as he laced their fingers together. _I've changed, but this place has stayed the same._

**.o.O.o.**

Two days later a messenger rapped on the door a little before midnight with a message:

_Meet me in the throne room. - Tsukuyomi_

Kurogane found the unusual urgency of the note troubling, but decided against waking Fay as he briefly thanked the messenger and left, casting a quick glance at his sleeping companion.

By the time reached the throne room he was sure something was wrong. Tomoyo stood in the center of the room, her face upturned to face the moon.

"Tomoyo?" he asked cautiously. Her eyes were unfocused, and he was unsure if she'd heard him until she began speaking in an oddly detached voice.

"Fay-san isn't with you?"

Kurogane shook his head.

"No. He's still sleeping."

Tomoyo nodded and closed her eyes heavily.

"I see. Well, perhaps that's for the best."

"Tomoyo," Kurogane sighed impatiently. "What's going on?" After the argument with Sohma he was not in the mood to play games. Tomoyo, of course, sensed this, and wasted no time in starting her story.

"Kurogane, I've been having dreams again." She began to pace, the cloth of her robe whispering against the floor. "It's very clear: A red lion fights a white lion in a forest, each tearing at the other's throat." She paused suddenly, her eyes once again on the moon.

"I've been having this dream for three nights now, but today it changed. The red lion was wounded while the white roared victoriously. But I could tell that the red lion was angry." She turned around to face him, her mouth a tight line.

"Kurogane, I learned today what the lions mean. Iberia and Albion have declared war."

Kurogane's eyes widened. "They… _what?!_"

Tomoyo closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"The relationship between the countries hasn't been good for years, but it came to a head a few days ago in a naval battle on the Albion coast. I found out through a Kitain contact, who in turn is in contact with an envoy in Gallia near the site of the battle." She folded her hands as if in prayer before continuing.

"There are reportedly over 600 dead on the Iberian count, and many hundreds wounded on either side. It's a naval disaster for the Iberians – and worse – a humiliation at the hands of their enemies."

"Do _they_ know?" Kurogane asked breathlessly, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Not yet. However, because they are such a trade-oriented country, every Iberian ship carries a scryer to keep in contact with the capitol. Within a day or two they will know of the defeat, and that's where my concern lies." She turned to face him, genuine worry in her eyes.

"I fear for Fay-san's safety, Kurogane. When the Iberians learn of the defeat I fear that they may strike out at Fay-san in revenge. In fact, I can almost guarantee that they will."

Kurogane didn't realize he was shaking until Tomoyo came over and touched his arm reassuringly.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered, blinking rapidly and wiping his forehead. She just smiled at him and squeezed his hand gently.

"It's alright. I will do everything within my power to make sure that nothing happens to Fay-san or you."

"Thank you…" he sighed gratefully, returning the squeeze. "I just don't know if I could handle seeing him hurt again. Not after _that_."

"And you won't have to."

They both turned to see Fay framed in the doorway.

"Fay…" Kurogane gasped. Fay smiled knowingly at him as Tomoyo took a few steps forward.

"Fay-san, how much did you hear?"

"Enough." Fay said casually. "But it's not exactly unexpected. I'm actually surprised that it took this long to finally erupt into an all-out war."

Fay began to move towards them, his footfalls echoing loudly in the quiet hall.

"But you're right, Tomoyo-san. After this someone on that ship will want me dead regardless of how much money I give them." He paused in front of Kurogane and reached out to stroke his cheek reassuringly. "But I don't have any intention to become prey for those brutes, Kuro-rin." He turned to Tomoyo, his expression grave.

"Therefore, Your Highness, I humbly request political asylum. If the Iberians do turn against me I've essentially lost my means home. Not that I was really planning on going back anyway…" He glanced at Kurogane with a smug smile. "Sound familiar, Kuro-rin?"

Kurogane sighed. Familiar indeed. But if he had this way this would _not_ have the same ending. Second chances happened for a reason.

He didn't realize how hard he was clenching his hands until Fay walked over and gently opened them, shooting him a concerned glance. Tomoyo paused to smile at them before she made her way to her throne.

"You have it, Fay-san. Though the Imperial policy is to remain neutral in international conflicts, who we grant asylum to is under our personal discretion." Tomoyo turned to her ninja. "I think I already know the answer to this, Kurogane, but would you be in charge of keeping Fay-san safe?"

Kurogane looked at her for several seconds before the corners of his mouth turned up in a wry grin.

"You don't even have to ask."

With that Kurogane swept Fay into a breath-stealing kiss, just for the hell of it.

**.o.O.o.**

**A/N: **More historical references. I couldn't resist. ;)

**White and Red lions:** The lion is a traditional symbol of European royalty, and the colors of white and red respectively symbolize England (Albion) and Spain (Iberia). In this story Spain and Portugal are the same country.

**Gallia:** Refers to an area that makes up modern-day France and Belgium.

**Scrying:** The art of using a crystal or similar medium to see the future or communicate.


	5. Chapter 5

It was almost unfair how utterly outmatched the would-be-assassins were.

Tomoyo's orders had always been to avoid casualties, but even after everything he'd been through Kurogane wasn't one to make promises he might not be able to keep. But now that he could actually _see _his quarry it seemed entirely possible to simply scare the daylights out of them. The assassins – and that was using the term liberally – couldn't have been more than twenty years old, and in Kurogane's book were better off terrified than dead.

He also couldn't help but be baffled by the obvious lack of planning. It would have been hard not to spot the two with the amount of noise they were making, and there had been no evidence that they were expecting any sort of resistance. Whatever stories the Iberians had been told about Nihon would obviously need rewriting, and Kurogane was more than happy to help.

He was close enough to see the sweat on the man's neck and the knife clutched in one white-knuckled hand. Kurogane had to consciously stop himself from simply skewering him for even thinking about hurting Fay. But Kurogane only intended to make a point – not kill anyone.

The man took a step back, prepping himself for a charge he ever got to make.

In a single motion Kurogane surged forward, bent back his wrist with a painful _snap_ and pinned him to the ground as the knife clattered loudly to the floor.

"_Nnn…GAH!!!_"

Before anything else could happen Kurogane had drawn his sword and pressed it against the man's throat.

"Try anything funny and your _neck_ is next!" Kurogane snarled, putting a little more pressure on the now broken wrist and earning a feeble whimper.

Down the hall there was a purple flash and a chortling scream that overshadowed that of Kurogane's captive by about tenfold.

"Fay!" Kurogane gasped, fighting the urge to sprint over and slash to pieces whoever Fay was engaged with.

"No worries, Kuro-rin." Fay called from inside. A moment later he emerged carrying a very unconscious and still-smoldering Iberian by the collar, who he dropped onto the floor with a dull _thud_.

"Tsk tsk. And after I taught them to make a decent cup of tea, too." He glanced up at Kurogane and flexed his hand. "But luckily my powers aren't just for show."

Kurogane could hear his captive begin to whimper as Fay sauntered towards them, an odd smile on his lips.

"Let me guess," Fay said with a careless toss of his head. "Your captain offered something – a sack of gold, perhaps – to anyone willing to sneak up here and slit my throat during the night." Fay bent down to pick up the discarded knife and ran his finger along the blade. "Pretty tempting, eh? Get rid of the damned stowaway and earn a pretty penny in one swoop. And it would be plenty easy to blame on the natives and guilt-trip them into coughing up some of that fabled treasure, am I right?"

Kurogane couldn't see his captive's face, but if the way the man was shaking was any indication he was just about ready to piss himself. Fay casually walked over and knelt to look at their captive.

"Well, good plan, but you forgot to take into account three very important things. One: Him." He gestured towards Kurogane. "Two: I'm not nearly as helpless as I look. I thought I made that clear in Shonan against those pirates. And Three," Fay held up the knife, letting it catch the yellow lamplight menacingly. "It's generally not a good idea to use one's own _monogrammed knife_ when trying to blame a murder on the natives."

"But hey, listen." Fay muttered, dropping his voice and leaning closer. "In the spirit of International Brotherhood I'm willing to let you go, but I'm not so sure about _him_."

Kurogane tightened his grip after Fay shot him a knowing glance.

_Ah, clever._ He thought smugly as his captive began to whimper.

"Now," Fay continued. "I can _maybe_ give you a ten-second head start, but after that I'm not making any promises. Ninja are quite fierce, you know, and _very_ possessive."

Fay leaned closer to whisper in the man's ear, while Kurogane pretended to be oblivious to what was being said.

"Alright, here's what I want you to do: You're buddy's coming around, so grab him and _run._ I'll keep _him_ busy, but whatever you, do don't look back!" Fay patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "Good luck!"

With that Kurogane released his hold and stepped back as the man scrambled away. With more pleasure than was probably appropriate Kurogane watched as the would-be-assassin grabbed his still-drowsy cohort by the collar and took off headlong into the corridor.

"Have to give them credit," Fay said with an amused smile. "They _are_ fast."

Kurogane grunted in agreement.

"Crappy assassins, though." He added dryly, reaching out to take the knife from Fay's hand. "If I was going to off a guy I wouldn't use a knife like _this_."

"Oh?" Fay said curiously, sidling closer. "What would you use then?"

"Folded over piece of steel. Saves on cleanup." Kurogane flipped the knife his hand and frowned. "Balance sucks on this too." Kurogane lobbed the blade into a nearby doorframe, where it stuck with a dull _thud_.

"Interesting…" Fay remarked, nodding his head excitedly. After a moment he looked up at Kurogane and smiled apologetically. "I just hope I didn't make you sound _too_ vicious, Kuro-pon."

Kurogane thought about it for a moment before he shrugged.

"Don't worry. That's the second time I've scared 'em, so if they go back with scary stories it's probably for the best. Less trouble later."

"Captain!" A voice called from down the hall. "They're back in their quarters!"

"Alright!" Kurogane called back. "A couple of you set up a perimeter around here just in case they try anything else. Everybody else can leave."

The formerly quiet corridor was suddenly a flurry of activity as the doors lining the hall opened to reveal the two dozen ninja who had been waiting for their Captain's cue. Fay watched this with amusement before turning to Kurogane with an amused smile.

"Isn't this a little excessive, Kuro-rin?"

Kurogane shrugged again.

"When in doubt, bring backup." _Especially if it involves you._ He added silently.

He was about to yell out more orders when he saw _something _twinkling in Fay's eyes that made him do a double take. Getting the message, Kurogane allowed a small mischievous smile to form on his lips. He glanced quickly at his men before leaning down and stealing a quick kiss.

By now the hall was dead silent. Kurogane exchanged a quick glance with Fay, who was obviously suppressing giggles, before raising his head.

"Just _what_ are you dogs staring at?!" He bellowed, watching with amusement as more than a few of them jumped. "Show's over, so either get on guard duty or _scram_!"

Within a matter of seconds the hall was completely empty save for the two of them. Fay's shoulders were trembling slightly with suppressed laughter.

"_Dogs_, Kuro-rin?" he chuckled quietly.

Kurogane grinned devilishly.

"It worked, didn't it?"

**.o.O.o.**

Luckily, there was to be no more trouble from the Iberians. The broken wrist and charred clothes were apparently enough warning to discourage any further foolishness, and Kurogane noted with amusement how the Iberians would shoot him nervous glances every time he passed them in the halls. He began to wonder if they'd leave thinking "Ninja" meant "Big Scary Guy Dressed in Black" – not that he objected to the description.

Fay also proved to be quite the academic and spent hours in the castle library learning how to read and write kanji, earning quite a few admirers in the process. Kurogane distinctly overheard the noble ladies who had blasted Fay for being a "barbarian" a few weeks earlier praising him in the hall after he showed off his fire-making abilities during a banquet. The speed at which Fay made himself at home shouldn't have been much of a surprise, considering how naturally friendly and amiable he was by nature.

Three weeks after the Iberians first arrived, they came forward with an announcement that they intended to depart for the Empress' palace in Miyako later that week. Tomoyo of course gave them her good graces and promised to see them off in the most extravagant way possible. Kurogane had been sitting between Fay and Tomoyo – since he was still pulling double duty as bodyguard to both of them – and distinctly saw Fay motion with his head to come with him as the banquet was getting out. After swallowing a sudden wave of nervousness he followed them into the private meeting hall.

"Just to get it out the way," Fay began as soon as the door clicked shut. "I'm not going with them to Miyako."

Kurogane let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in relief. His rational mind had told him as much, but the anxiety of losing Fay again was very much present.

"In fact," Tomoyo chimed, the bells in her hair ringing briefly. "Fay-san and I have talked about making him the official ambassador to Albion…"

"Assuming I can get permission from home." Fay added, holding up one finger.

"… And staying here as my magical advisor." Tomoyo clasped her hands excitedly. "I have always wanted to learn more about Western Magic, and Fay-san has graciously offered to teach me all he knows."

"Also," Fay said under his breath, walking forward and looping an arm around Kurogane's waist. "Should I want to travel around the countryside Tomoyo has offered me your protection – assuming that's okay with you." The last bit was accompanied by a small sarcastic smile. Of course it was okay with him, and they knew each other well enough to know that.

Nonetheless, Kurogane nodded in approval. It was comforting to know that these two had already taken care of the details, and as long as he could be with Fay he didn't care about the exact arrangements.

"I'm glad this has all worked out for you two." Tomoyo said graciously. "Now it's just a matter of waiting for word from Albion, and if it comes after the Iberians have left all the better." She smiled to herself and folded her hands into the sleeves of her robe. "I imagine they'll say yes, since I understand that Fay is from a family with strong ties to The Crown."

Kurogane wondered if he simply imagined feeling Fay's arm tense, but before he could really process it Fay had turned them around and begun leading him away like a dutiful wife.

"Don't worry, Kuro-pon – I'm sure the king will be happy to hear that I'm over here. Since the falling out with Iberia we'll need all the help we can get internationally, and I wasn't exactly planning on heading back in the first place."

Kurogane nodded, but couldn't completely shake the feeling that Fay was nervous about more than just getting the king's approval. Fay broke his train of shot by suddenly yawning loudly. Kurogane merely smiled and scooped him off his feet to carry him the rest of the way.

**.o.O.o.**

The goodbye ceremony for the Iberians was quite an occasion – partly thanks to enough alcohol to completely inebriate everyone several times over – but by the time the caravan had left there was a distinct air of relief now that the guests were gone. Kurogane for one was looking forward to finally be able to sleep through an entire night and not have to pull extra guard duty around the guest quarters, and while it went unsaid Fay didn't seem to be missing his shipmates in the least. Kurogane recalled seeing Fay shoot a wink to the would-be-assassins as they were leaving, just for good measure.

After retiring for the night they were woken up shortly before midnight and told to come to Tomoyo's throne room in their best clothes. Despite Kurogane's grumbling he followed suit and trailed after Fay, noticing a distinct tension in his frame as he followed behind.

When they entered Tomoyo was seated opposite the largest mirror she possessed in full ceremonial robes, and she smiled at them when they came in.

"Ah, Kurogane, Fay-san, you're here. I just finished speaking with the King, and he gives Fay full permission to serve as his ambassador."

Fay nodded and bowed gratefully.

"Thank you, Princess."

"However…" Tomoyo's expression suddenly turned serious. "Apparently word travels fast in the palace, and your family is asking to speak with you."

Fay suddenly looked crestfallen, and Kurogane reached out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He'd wondered if the nervousness had been because of the possibility of speaking with his family, and once again his gut had been proven right.

"I can pretend the signal has faded if you want, Fay-san." Tomoyo said, her eyes softening in concern.

"No, it's alright." Fay said with a dejected sigh. "I might as well get this over with. It'll just come back to haunt me later if I don't at least let them know how I'm doing. My mother worries so…"

Kurogane nodded, coming up behind Fay and putting an arm around his shoulders and kept it there despite Fay's worried look. He was determined to stand by Fay through this, and just stood there wordlessly until he felt Fay breathe out and accept it. If Fay had taught him one thing during their time together it was not to back down when someone needed you.

An image flickered to life on the silver mirror's surface, wavering until it settled into an image of four people seated in a comfortable-looking parlor. Kurogane blinked and realized that all of them – two younger men, a lovely woman and an authoritative looking older man – were blond haired and light-eyed. He glanced at Fay and nodded to himself. Yes, this was definitely his family.

"Fay!" the woman cried, clasping her hands together as her startling green eyes shone with joy. "It's so wonderful to see you! How are you, my boy?"

"I'm fine, mother." Fay replied, smiling back. Kurogane looked back and forth between them. Yes, Fay's smile came from his mother. Probably his kindness too, if the way the woman was beaming at them was any indication. The older looking brother leaned forward and grinned wickedly from under his long eyelashes.

"We heard you've gone native, Fay. Not that it's much of a surprise…"

Fay merely narrowed his eyes dangerously and smiled back.

"Better than stuffing myself up with a bunch of books and going pale as a ghost, Arthur." Fay replied, and Kurogane sensed that it was a perennial joke between them.

"Now now, enough of that, you two." The younger of the brothers chided, frowning up at his sibling. Kurogane nearly did a double take, for this brother looked exactly like Fay with longer hair.

_Right, twins._ He reminded himself, glancing quickly between Fay and the person in the mirror. He supposed some things just didn't change, no matter how many dimensions one went through. Fay merely smiled up at his brother and twiddled his fingers familiarly.

"Hey Yuui, staying out of trouble?"

His brother returned the gesture and grinned back.

"Same as you, Fay."

"In other words, no."

The twins laughed together, but Kurogane's attention had already turned to their father, a sour-looking goateed individual with a severe glint in his eyes. He could see why Fay had been nervous to talk to him, and he unconsciously tightened his grip as the man quietly scrutinized his son.

"So, Fay." His father began, instantaneously silencing everyone else. "Glad to see you haven't gotten yourself killed. Yet."

Fay's mouth twitched as his shoulders tensed visibly. Kurogane kept his gaze steady and didn't flinch when those ice-blue eyes shifted to him.

"Who's that, Fay?" his father inquired suspiciously. Kurogane clenched his fist unconsciously and was suddenly glad that his hands were hidden from view. Fay stared back and answered with an even tone.

"He's my bodyguard."

His father seemed relax as he reached for a waiting teacup and took a leisurely sip. Kurogane's attention, however, was still on his son and the mischievous suddenly present in his eyes.

"And lover." Fay added, his mouth curling into a satisfied smile as his father nearly choked on his tea and coughed and spluttered in surprise. His mother merely smiled at them and leaned forward.

"So Fay… he's the one?" She inquired gently. Kurogane had been able to tell instantly that he'd like her, and she almost reminded him of Tomoyo in some ways. And she obviously cared about Fay, which was an instant win in his book.

"Yes." Fay said quietly, reaching up to grab his hand. "It's him."

"I'm glad to hear that." Her eyes fell on Kurogane. "Please, take care of my son for me. He means a lot to us."

"I will." Kurogane responded, reclining his head. "You can bet on it."

Fay yawned suddenly, startling just about everyone. His father, who appeared to have gotten over the shock of learning that his son was in love with a man and had stopped choking on his tea, frowned at the gesture.

"What're you yawning for? It's only 3 in the afternoon!"

"Not in Nihon." Fay responded curtly. "It's midnight here."

"See Darling!" Fay's mother chimed, turning to her husband and beaming. "I told you the world was round!"

His father scowled at her and glared.

"Then why don't we fall off of it, eh? And don't tell me it's because of that silly 'gravity' theory that backwards friend of yours came up with after getting clocked on the head with a bloody vegetable!"

"It was a fruit, Darling." She responded lightly, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes gracefully.

Fay chuckled and winked at Kurogane.

"They do this all the time." He said under his breath, watching his parents fondly. Yuui shook his head and turned towards them, twiddling his fingers.

"Well, now that they've started I'd say we're just about finished. So Fay, have fun out there but don't be a stranger!"

"I won't, brother." Fay said quietly. "And take care of them for me."

"Will do. See ya!" The entire family turned to look at them and waved briefly, and even Fay's father was smiling at them before the mirror went blank and left them staring at their own reflections. Fay sighed and leaned back, letting Kurogane catch him.

"Phew." He said with a small whistle. "Glad that's over with." He looked up at Kurogane and smiled. "And don't worry about my father. He's just full of hot air, and my mother's good at putting him in his place."

"I'm glad." Kurogane said, remembering the kindness he could see in her eyes. "They seem like good people." He wondered vaguely why Fay had been so nervous, but he supposed it was just family politics at work.

Fay yawned again and bonelessly slumped against him with a contented sigh.

"Maybe not, maybe so, but as long as I've got my Kuro-tan I'm happy."

Kurogane smiled and glanced over at Tomoyo, who was watching them fondly from her throne and briefly nodded her head. Taking the cue Kurogane lifted Fay's chin and gave him a light kiss, smiling when he received a puzzled look back.

"Just a little welcome home."

**.o.O.o.**

**Shonan: **The Colonial Japanese name for Singapore, Portugal took control of this port during the 17th century, but before that the city was a frequent stop for travelers and a hotbed of pirates.

**Folded over piece of steel:** Despite what modern fiction says, ninja did not usually use long swords like Kurogane's Ginryuu when carrying out assassinations. Called a Ninjato, these were short blades that were sometimes as simple as folded over pieces of steel that were usually left in a victim. They were especially popular among lady assassins, who could simply stab their victim and walk out without having to hide a bloody sword.

**Miyako:** An archaic name for Kyoto, this is actually a misreading of the kanji for in the city's name, and was what the West knew Kyoto as for many years.

**That silly 'gravity' theory:** In reality, Sir Isaac Newton wasn't born until 1642, but this isn't the real England, anyway.

**Fay/Yuui/Etc: **I realize this is a bit confusing, but next chapter will clear this up. But essentially Fay is Fay in this universe.


End file.
